Retro Reviews
Review Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Over the moon
Konami's Castlevania has changed directions in recent years, with the Lords of Shadow titles polarizing fans of the long-running series. That's why fans of the "Metroidvania" outings should flock to the Wii U eShop and download the Game Boy Advance Castlevania titles, which feature the series' signature exploration-based, semi-linear...
Review Namco Museum (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Does it deserve to be exhibited on your Wii U?
Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Namco Museum is part of a long-running series (which goes by the same name) that saw regular releases over a 15-year period all the way up until 2010. This game is a compilation, featuring five classic arcade games: Ms. PAC-MAN, Galaga, Galaxian,...
Review Donkey Kong Country (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Hasn't aged a day
Back in 1994, before 3D games had taken off, a little UK-based games developer called Rare decided that if it couldn’t have good looking 3D models in a game, it'd have to get creative. Donkey Kong Country used a pioneering new technique for the time that took images of pre-rendered three dimensional models and turned these...
Review Donkey Kong Land 2 (3DS eShop / GB)
Diddy's 8-Bit Quest
The success of Donkey Kong Country inevitably saw a sequel released. Likewise when Donkey Kong Land proved a similar platforming experience was possible on the Game Boy, it was a no-brainer that Rare would release a second handheld adventure. This time Donkey Kong has gone and gotten himself captured, and so it's up to Diddy and...
Review Donkey Kong Land (3DS eShop / GB)
Mobile monkey magic
Donkey Kong Country was a fun and popular platformer for the SNES, but not everyone thought it was great. Some people (possibly Mega Drive / Genesis owners) said the game was in fact quite poor and any fans were deluded fools drawn to it for reasons other than gameplay – or, as Cranky Kong says, “put a few fancy graphics and...
Review Nobunaga's Ambition (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Feud of dreams
Nobunaga’s Ambition, long one of publisher Koei’s flagship series, deserves its rightful place in the history of strategy titles. This SNES iteration, like many of its brethren, has an engaging setup that rewards careful planning and execution once the learning curve is cleared. Actually, “curve” might be too gentle a term...
Review Legend of the River King 2 (3DS eShop / GBC)
Return of the King
As an extra, easter egg or background element, fishing seems to pop up everywhere in video games; from side-angle angling in Link’s Awakening and Rumble Pak-reeling in Ocarina of Time to museum-filling in Animal Crossing and fly-rod flinging in Yum
Review Castlevania: Dracula X (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Tainted blood
When you think of the definitive side-scrolling Castlevania experience, we imagine for most people it’s imagery of Symphony of the Night or Super Castlevania IV that first creeps into the ol’ noggin. But while those might be the most popular of responses, there’s a slightly more obscure game in the franchise that many die-hards...
Review Game & Watch Gallery 3 (3DS eShop / GBC)
A gallery worth visiting
As over 50 different Game & Watch titles were released during the eighties, Nintendo had the clever idea to give a select few a fresh coat of paint, giving them a visual makeover, adding music, turning them into Mario-themed titles and then putting them together in a collection which allowed you to play both the new and...
Review Donkey Kong: Original Edition (3DS eShop / NES)
Whole once again
The legendary arcade title Donkey Kong is slightly infamous for receiving a rather botched NES conversion. Lacking several screens, animations and even an entire stage, it wasn't exactly one of Nintendo's finer porting jobs, especially when other home versions by different companies did manage to include all of the original content...
Review Wild Guns (Wii U eShop / SNES)
True Bit
The Wild West is a fantastic setting for a video game. Rugged gunslingers, drunken shootouts, limited presence of the law and a surplus of criminals lend to a volatile and rowdy backdrop for a tense, controller-gripping time. In the case of Wild Guns it takes the Steampunk route, injecting hostile machinery and advanced weaponry into the...
Review Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness (Wii U eShop / NES)
It's good to be bad
Although many people are familiar with the Red Arremers, the notoriously persistent enemies from the Ghosts 'n Goblins games, not many seem to be aware that one particular Arremer also starred in several games of his own. The first Gargoyle's Quest was released on the 3DS Virtual Console a while back, and now we've finally...
Review Mega Man 7 (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Bigger sprites, bigger fun?
Mega Man 7 is in an awkward place; while most big NES franchises made huge leaps to the Super Nintendo, the mainline Mega Man series' 16-bit thunder was stolen by its Serious Business spin-off, Mega Man X. Released after X and its sequel Mega Man X2, Mega Man 7 is Capcom's attempt to bring its classic platforming roots to...
Review Super Mario Ball (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Balls to the wall
It's no secret that Nintendo's iconic red-wearing plumber has had a number of vocations. From referee to painter to kart racer to hotelier, Mario's been through a lot and shows no sign of actually doing some plumbing. Keeping that in mind, let's take a look at a game where he becomes a pinball. Super Mario Ball's plot revolves...
Review Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight (3DS eShop / NES)
Back to the future
Capcom's Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight is not a typical Street Fighter game. If you go into this relatively obscure NES action title knowing you won't hear "Hadouken!" shouted once, you may be able to enjoy the experience. However, Street Fighter 2010's depth and surprisingly intricate gameplay will likely be lost on all...
Review Mario Golf: Advance Tour (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Like Golden Sun, if all the weapons were golf clubs
Mario is a surprisingly active fellow. We've said it before and we'll say it again — the doughy little guy is a total sports nut, and he owes much of this to the kind developers at Camelot, who have a gift for creating really solid titles that allow him to strut his stuff. Like previous titles in...
Review Mega Man X3 (Wii U eShop / SNES)
A less than fitting farewell
In 1996, the Mega Man X series parted ways with Nintendo hardware. Mega Man X3 is how it ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper. The first Mega Man X game got things off to such a solid start that it was almost inevitable that a letdown would come sooner rather than later. After all, with so little room for improvement,...
Review Donkey Kong Jr. Math (Wii U eShop / NES)
Summin' it
In among the Excitebikes, Super Mario Bros., and Ice Climbers of the NES’s North American launch sat Donkey Kong Jr. Math, an edutainment title seemingly designed so that hopeful tots could point to it on the shelf and Trojan-horse Nintendo’s new Duck Hunt-playing powerhouse into the family home, parents unsuspecting, under the guise...
Review Life Force (Wii U eShop / NES)
Forcefully fun
Konami's 1985 hit Gradius is one of the most influential scrolling shooters of all time, so it was pretty tough to follow up. Rather than make Gradius II right away, the company decided to create a spin-off; Life Force — originally known in Japan as Salamander — hit arcades in 1986 and the NES two years later. Space shooters were...
The road less traveled
DSiWare releases are becoming fewer and far between, but there are still some interesting titles to be found for the service, and they're all accessible thanks to the 3DS eShop. Collavier Corporation's Amida's Path is a creative, fun game that combines strategy, action and light role-playing to create an experience that feels...
Review Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge (Wii U eShop / GBA)
The chips are bringing us down
Adding RPG elements to a beloved side-scrolling franchise may seem like a stroke of insanity, but Mega Man has enjoyed more than a few titles that play off this idea while still retaining the atmosphere and challenge of the core series. Even a certain red plumber has proved that the transition can pay off, fleshing out...
Review Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Wii U eShop / NES)
Double draggin'
There was a period from the late-'80s to the early-'90s when side-scrolling beat 'em up games were all the (streets of?) rage – from Double Dragon to Final Fight to Streets of Rage, we just couldn't get enough of punching hooligans in the face down long straight paths. Perhaps the most fun aspect of these titles was the multiplayer...
Review Mysterious Stars: The Samurai (DSiWare)
Bushi-no.
The DSi’s touchscreen-and-stylus setup has inspired an impressive array of pen-and-paper puzzle conversions over the years, and this trend seems set to continue right into DSiWare’s twilight days. Collavier’s Mysterious Stars trilogy, as the most recent example, pairs classic connect-the-dots puzzles with children’s stories. It’s...
Review Cybernator (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Run-n-gun in space
Konami's Cybernator isn't as well-known as run-and-gun titles such as Contra, but this SNES game is a quality offering with plenty of challenge, personality and replay value. The Virtual Console exists to let gamers relive (and experience for the first time) classic games, and Cybernator will be a breath of fresh air for anyone...
Review Xtreme Sports (3DS eShop / GBC)
Like, totally awesome
While WayForward is busy cooking up the latest instalment in the wonderful Shantae franchise, fans are sure to get a little bit impatient for more of that half-genie action. Although the original is available now on the 3DS Virtual Console, we’ve also recently been treated to something completely different in the form of the...
Review Mega Man Battle Network (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Net neutrality
While the Mega Man series is mostly known for its action platformer instalments, in a move to perhaps appeal to more audiences Capcom decided to try pairing the Blue Bomber with some other genres, first in the form of Mega Man Legends, an action RPG, and then again with this title, Mega Man Battle Network. Released on Game Boy...
Review Mysterious Stars: A Fairy Tale (DSiWare)
Missed connections
From sudoku and crosswords to mazes and more, pen-and-paper puzzle games have found a happy home on Nintendo’s recent dual-screened systems, especially as part of smaller, downloadable offerings. One of the latest examples of this trend is the Mysterious Stars trilogy, a set of DSiWare games that couple classic connect-the-dots...
Review Anne's Doll Studio: Antique Collection (DSiWare)
Antique? Try "aged"
Gamebridge's Anne's Doll Studio: Antique Collection is one of several titles in the Anne's Doll Studio "series," and like the other entries is a complete waste of time and money. A simple application in which you can dress up a doll and save it as an image file, users will find all there is to discover in Anne's Doll Studio as...
Review Anne's Doll Studio: Lolita Collection (DSiWare)
Don't touch Lolita
Gamebridge's Anne's Doll Studio: Lolita Collection is one of several titles in the Anne's Doll Studio "series," and like the other entries, is a complete waste of time and money. A simple application in which you can dress up a doll and save it as an image file, users will find all there is to discover in Anne's Doll Studio as...
Review Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Jump'n TwinBee
Although the TwinBee series is mostly remembered as a shoot 'em up franchise, it might come as a surprise that there were actually a few games which took on different genres. Rainbow Bell Adventures — which is coincidentally also the last game released outside Japan — tries its hand at platforming, bringing its own unique little...
